Cell cycle variants during Drosophila accessory gland development

The Drosophila melanogaster accessory gland is a functional analog of the mammalian prostate containing two secretory epithelial cell types, termed main and secondary cells. This tissue is responsible for making and secreting seminal fluid proteins and other molecules that contribute to successful reproduction. The cells of this tissue are bi-nucleate and polyploid, due to variant cell cycles that include endomitosis and endocycling during metamorphosis. Here we provide evidence of additional cell cycle variants in this tissue. We show that main cells of the gland are connected by ring canals that form after the penultimate mitosis and we describe an additional post-eclosion endocycle required for gland maturation that is dependent on juvenile hormone signaling. We present evidence that the main cells of the Drosophila melanogaster accessory gland undergo a unique cell cycle reprogramming throughout organ development that results in step-wise cell cycle truncations culminating in cells containing two octoploid nuclei with under-replicated heterochromatin in the mature gland. We propose this tissue as a model to study developmental and hormonal temporal control of cell cycle variants in terminally differentiating tissues.